Swiss financial assistance aims to help reduce economic and social disparities within the expanded European Union, as well as between the various development regions of the beneficiary countries.
The second Swiss financial contribution, approved by the Swiss Parliament in December 2019, allocates a total of 1.102 billion Swiss francs (CHF). In September 2021, the Swiss Parliament approved the release of these funds, and in June 2022, the European Union and the Swiss Federal Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide the second non-reimbursable financial contribution.
This second contribution seeks to strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties between Switzerland and the EU member states. In Romania, the cooperation program focuses on funding interventions in the social sector, with priority given to rural areas and less-developed regions. It also supports sectors such as education and research, small and medium-sized enterprises, public safety and security, health, sustainable development, and energy efficiency.
Romania has been allocated a non-reimbursable financial contribution of 221.5 million CHF, from the total of 1.102 billion CHF dedicated to reducing economic and social disparities. These funds are available to the 13 EU member states that joined after 2004. The Ministry of Finance, serving as the National Coordination Unit, is responsible for overall coordination of the Swiss financial assistance.
The framework agreement for the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Program, signed on December 12, 2022, between the Government of Romania and the Swiss Federal Council, provides the legal basis for implementation. It defines the responsible institutions in both countries, the applicable mechanisms and principles, and the thematic areas in which support measures (programs) will be developed.
The thematic areas covered by the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Program include dual vocational education and training (VET), research, support for SMEs, public safety and security, energy efficiency and renewable energy, improved access to the Bucharest metro network, health services, social inclusion, and civic engagement.
Presentation of the Public Safety and Security Program (Internal Affairs)
The Public Safety and Security Program (Internal Affairs) is one of the 11 thematic programs launched under the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Program, as part of the second Swiss Contribution aimed at reducing economic and social disparities within the EU and Romania. The Agreement for the Internal Affairs Support Measure was concluded on February 20, 2025, between the National Coordination Unit and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Subsequently, the Implementation Agreement for the Support Measure was signed between the National Coordination Unit and the Program Operator – Ministry of Internal Affairs – Directorate for Non-Reimbursable External Funds.
The program is implemented in collaboration with the component program operators acting as beneficiaries, namely the Romanian Police General Inspectorate and the Department for Emergency Situations.
The total budget of the program is 23,529,412 Swiss francs, of which 85% represents the Swiss contribution and 15% represents national co-financing.
The program implementation period concludes on December 31, 2028.
The Public Safety and Security Program (Internal Affairs) consists of the following components:
Community (proximity) policing;
Combating organized crime and human trafficking;
Air rescue and disaster preparedness.
Program Components
Component 1 – Community Policing (Proximity Policing)
Program Component Operator: General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police
National Partners: “Nicolae Golescu” Police Training and Professional Development Centre Slatina and the MAI Centre for Psychosociology
Swiss Partners: NGO COGINTA and the SAVATAN Police Academy
Objective:
This component aims to ensure optimal access for citizens to high-quality police services through the implementation of the community (proximity) policing concept.
This objective will be achieved through the implementation of the following main activities:
- Surveys and consultations with citizens and victims of domestic violence.
- Assessment and adaptation of victim support services, including online services.
- Review of the strategy and expansion of community policing in rural areas.
- Arrangement of modular facilities and renovation of police stations.
- Training of police officers and psychologists in intervention, prevention, communication, and Roma culture.
- Implementation of IT tools and psychological selection mechanisms.
- Training session on first aid provision.
- Study visits and exchange of best practices in Switzerland for police officers and psychologists.
Budget: 5,358,725.00 Swiss francs
Component 2 – Fight Against Organized Crime and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
Program Component Operator: General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police
National Partners: National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (ANITP), “Dr. Aurel Greblea” Canine Centre Sibiu
Swiss Partners: Federal Office of Police (FEDPOL), Basel Institute on Governance;
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Objective:
The objective of this component is to increase the level of public safety.
This objective will be achieved through the implementation of the following main activities:
- Strengthening the capacity to combat organized and cybercrime by developing investigative skills related to Darknet activities, crypto-analysis, and financial investigations.
- Enhancing the capacity to combat trafficking in human beings by equipping specialized structures with modern equipment and operational vehicles.
- Drafting operational analyses and strategic reports on the phenomenon of trafficking in human beings.
- Organizing professional training courses for police officers and prosecutors in the fields of trafficking in human beings, financial investigations, and cybercrime.
- Combating trafficking in human beings through national awareness campaigns and local prevention actions, as well as providing direct support to victims through protection, counselling, and reintegration services.
- Strengthening Romanian–Swiss police cooperation through joint missions, study visits, and exchanges of best practices.
Budget: 13,741,275.00 Swiss francs
Component 3 – Air Rescue and Disaster Preparedness
Program Component Operator: Department for Emergency Situations
National Partners: General Inspectorate of Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations
Swiss Partner: REGA – Swiss Air Rescue
Objective:
The objective of this component is to increase emergency response capacity by improving SMURD air missions and developing volunteerism in the field of civil protection.
This objective will be achieved through the implementation of the following main activities:
- Training and advanced training of pilots and flight crew for rescue missions in hard-to-reach areas and during nighttime operations, including through simulators and Night Vision Goggles technology.
- Optimizing operations and the safety of air interventions, strengthening institutional cooperation, and equipping personnel with specialized equipment.
- Strengthening emergency volunteer programs, developing and testing pilot projects, and conducting promotion campaigns.
Budget: 13,741,275.00 Swiss francs.
Resources
- Memorandum of Understanding between the European Union and Switzerland on Switzerland’s contribution to reducing economic and social disparities and to cooperation in the field of migration within the European Union, signed on 30 June 2022;
- Government Decision No. 61/2023, as subsequently amended, approving the Framework Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Swiss Federal Council on the implementation of the second Swiss Contribution in certain Member States of the European Union to reduce economic and social disparities within the European Union, signed in Bucharest on 12 December 2022, as subsequently amended and supplemented;
- Regulation on the implementation of the second Swiss Contribution in certain Member States of the European Union to reduce economic and social disparities within the European Union;
- Government Emergency Ordinance No. 120/2023 establishing the general financial framework for the use of the second non-reimbursable Swiss financial contribution granted to Romania through the Swiss–Romanian Cooperation Program aimed at reducing economic and social disparities within the European Union, as well as the related national contribution, approved by Law No. 150/2024;
- Joint Order of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Investments and European Projects No. 4181/6060/2024 approving the Methodological Norms for the application of the provisions of Government Emergency Ordinance No. 120/2023 establishing the general financial framework for the use of the second non-reimbursable Swiss financial contribution granted to Romania through the Swiss–Romanian Cooperation Program aimed at reducing economic and social disparities within the European Union, as well as the related national contribution;
- Order of the Minister of Internal Affairs No. 98/2024 establishing the management and control system within the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the management of the Security and Public Safety Program (Home Affairs), financed through the second Swiss Contribution.
